Star Wars Galaxies
Star Wars Galaxies was a 3D sci‑fi MMORPG taking place during the classic-film timeframe of Star Wars. Built around a subscription, it became known for committing to a sandbox philosophy: intricate crafting, a mostly player-run economy, and plenty of viable roles that weren’t centered on fighting.
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Publisher: Sony Online Entertainment Type: MMORPG Release Date: June 26, 2003 (NA) Closure Date: December 11, 2011 Pros: +Open-ended sandbox structure. +Persistent player housing and cities. +Flexible, skill-based character growth. +Strong support for non-combat careers. +One of the genre’s better crafting economies. Cons: -Difficult onboarding for new players. -Noticeable balance problems across systems. -UI and moment-to-moment handling can feel awkward. |
Star Wars Galaxies Overview
Star Wars Galaxies is often remembered as the first subscription-based MMORPG to carry the Star Wars banner, and it treated the IP differently than many contemporaries. Rather than funneling everyone through rigid, quest-heavy progression, it pushed a broad sandbox where markets, social hubs, and item flow were largely influenced by the community. At launch, SWG was set in the gap between Episode IV (A New Hope) and Episode V (The Empire Strikes Back), allowing you to live in the world as a regular inhabitant—whether that meant working as a crafter, entertainer, scout, mercenary, or front-line fighter—without insisting that every player follow the same “chosen hero” path.
A major part of the game’s legacy is its original advancement model. Early SWG relied on a skill-driven system that rewarded tinkering, blending disciplines, and shaping your build around the activities you genuinely liked. Later on, after expansions and major overhauls, progression was shifted heavily toward a more traditional class-style format, altering both character planning and the overall day-to-day rhythm.
Star Wars Galaxies Key Features
- A Huge Universe to Roam – 10 planets were available at launch, with 2 more introduced afterward.
- Build Your Own Character – 10 classes to chose from and 34 professions to master.
- Ride and Fly – Ground mounts for solo players and groups, plus travel options in space.
- Real Housing in a Shared World – Persistent homes with customization, and the ability for communities to create towns.
- Social Life Matters – Robust non-combat paths such as crafting, dancing, and other supportive roles that feel meaningful.
Races – Playable species included Bothan, Human, Ithorian, Mon Calamari, Rodian, Sullustan, Trandoshan, Twi’lek, Wookiee, and Zabrak.
Planets – World selection spanned Tatooine, Naboo, Corellia, Talus, Rori, Dantooine, Lok, Yavin 4, Endor (moon of), and Dathomir, with Kashyyyk (exp) and Mustafar (exp) arriving later.
Similar Games – Ultima Online, EVE Online, Star Wars The Old Republic
Star Wars Galaxies Screenshots
Star Wars Galaxies Featured Video
Star Wars Galaxies Links
Star Wars Galaxies Wikipedia Entry
Star Wars Galaxies Wikia [Database/Guides]
Did Star Wars Galaxies Fail? [Essay Series from Designer Raph Koster]
The Rise, Fall, and Return of Star Wars Galaxies [Story by Dennis Scimeca of The Kernel]
SWGEmu [Star Wars Galaxies Emulation Project]
Star Wars Galaxies Music & Soundtrack
Star Wars Galaxies Additional Information
Developer: Sony Online Entertainment (today known as Daybreak Game Company)
Publisher: LucasArts
Game Engine: Proprietary, custom-built engine.
Lead Gameplay Designer: Jeff Freeman
Creative Director: Raph Koster
Closed Beta: July 2002
Release Dates:
United States: June 26, 2003
Europe: November 7, 2003
Japan: December 23, 2004
Australia: 2006
Closure Date:
Japan: November 2005
Global: December 15, 2011
Expansions:
Jump to Lightspeed (October 27, 2004) – Introduced the Sullustan and Ithorian as playable options, and brought in space battles with three selectable allegiances: Rebel, Imperial, or Freelance.
Rage of the Wookiees (May 5, 2005) – Opened up Kashyyyk, presented largely through instanced dungeon content, and added cybernetic replacements, additional starfighters, plus space-based resource extraction.
Trials of Obi-Wan (November 1, 2005) – Brought Mustafar into the game, and marked the point where the earlier skill-focused progression framework was dropped in favor of a standard class-oriented model.
Development History / Background:
The road to Star Wars Galaxies began early in the 2000s, when LucasArts partnered with Verant Interactive to bring the franchise into the MMORPG space. The initial public announcement came on March 17, 2000, and expectations at the time were aggressive, with talk of a 2001 launch. The project’s official name was revealed on November 29, 2000, but it soon became clear the scope was larger than the original schedule could support. As development continued, one major consequence was that space gameplay was not ready for the initial release and would be saved for a post-launch expansion.
Testing progressed slowly, with the closed beta arriving in July 2002. Around that period, console editions were also discussed (an Xbox and PlayStation 2 version was mentioned on May 20, 2002), but those plans did not survive to release. The PC version drifted from an intended April 15, 2003 launch and ultimately went live on June 26, 2003, about two months later than planned. By then, there was already significant interest surrounding the game, and the community had grown to over 400,000.
Even with its distinct sandbox identity, SWG struggled to keep the spotlight once World of Warcraft arrived the following year and redefined mainstream MMO expectations. In response, Sony Online Entertainment attempted to reposition the game with sweeping mechanical changes in 2005, most notably Combat Upgrade (CU) and New Game Enhancement (NGE). The intent was to modernize and compete, but the end result was divisive, since it also dismantled parts of the original design that many players considered the game’s defining strengths.
The servers remained online for several more years despite the controversy, and the official service ultimately ended shortly before the release of the next major Star Wars MMO, BioWare’s Star Wars The Old Republic.
Star Wars Galaxies Private Servers
Even though the official servers have been shut down for years, Star Wars Galaxies continues via a dedicated emulation scene. The biggest initiative has been operating for 11 years and, built on the SWGemu project, currently maintains 9 active servers. While these realms aren’t perfect one-to-one replicas, they work well enough to let new players experience why the original skill-based progression, crafting-driven economy, and player-founded settlements are still discussed today.